MESSAGE FROM LONDONMichael Palin. London July 11th.
The award of the 2012 Olympics to London was largely because the city was seen as a place where people from all over the world could live, work and play together in safety.
Then, the morning after the announcement, Londoners like myself were brutally reminded that there are those to whom the very idea of people from all over the world living and working and playing together is hateful.
The bombers, whoever they are, are senselessly callous and cruel. But I have met many people in my life who see tolerance as weakness, ignorance as strength and compassion as something reserved for true believers. And only a few of them were Muslim.
For better or worse I, and my parents and generations before me, have lived in a society which has thrived on change, encouraged scientific enquiry and believed in the ideal of progress. As a result we have a world of sometimes almost reckless modernity in which some people feel left behind, or worse still, trampled on by those rushing to get more of what our technological society can create.
But we can’t change now. We can’t de-invent what we’ve invented. We can’t not try to understand what is new and interesting. We can’t censor our thoughts. So we will continue to incur the wrath of those who believe that minds and bodies should be controlled, if necessary by force.
Our best weapon against this destructive bigotry is the freedom and tolerance we’ve acquired, not without pain and difficulty, over hundreds of years. It demands that we avoid condemning without reason or evidence. That we relish diversity and understand non-conformity without demonising it.
That we never assume our way of life is better just because we have more money and more things. Some of the poorest people I’ve met on my travels have been the most open, hospitable, inventive. And though their resources are scarce they know how to look after them and paradoxically are often more in control of their lives than any millionaire hiding in a gated community.
If we believe our “way of life” is best then we must prove it, not by bullying or bragging, but by showing the intelligence that lifetimes of hard won liberties have bought for us. One of the greatest tests of this intelligence is understanding how others feel. To understand the world we don’t need anything hi-tech, we need the brain to comprehend and appreciate the universal feelings that we share with others, whatever our creed or colour. We can only fight closed minds with open minds.
Real progress is something that happens in your head.
I suppose what I’m saying is listen, learn, read, travel, argue but don’t live in gated communities. Whatever, I'll be using the London Underground as usual this week. It’s a vital part of a very vital city. And a vital part of looking, listening, learning, and meeting the rest of the world.
If we believe our “way of life” is best then we must prove it, not by bullying or bragging, but by showing the intelligence that lifetimes of hard won liberties have bought for us. One of the greatest tests of this intelligence is understanding how others feel. To understand the world we don’t need anything hi-tech, we need the brain to comprehend and appreciate the universal feelings that we share with others, whatever our creed or colour. We can only fight closed minds with open minds.Exactly. It should be obvious to everyone that the kinds of attitudes found in the FPP links are infinitely more destructive to society than a handful of bombs.
Real progress is something that happens in your head.
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The six nearest religious buildings to my house (in order) are a Muslim school, a mosque, a mosque, a Muslim education centre, a mosque, a mosque and a christian church. I've got kids playing outside all the time, neighbours who say hello, great greengrocers who know who I am (although finding bacon involves a bit of a trek). It's not exactly paradise but it's not bad. All you see on the telly are Muslims (Imans and just bloke-on-the-street interviews) condemning the attacks, and claiming that the attackers are not real Muslims.
When the IRA were active on the mainland (and let's face it, they've done much more damage than the "al-quaeda" lot have), there were some arseholes who tarred all Irish people with the terrorist brush. But not many. So why the attacks on Muslims? A mosque got firebombed thursday night (and I'm sure it's not the only one - I saw it on the local news). The Muslim council of Britain received tens of thousands of abusive emails and calls.
My suspicion is this is due to our nasty and oh so British undercurrent of racism. These people not only believe in a slightly different god but they also look different. So they're an easier target.
So, "To what extent will Britain comply with demands for change from the conservative right?" My hope is not at all in the slightest whatever. My fears are the opposite.
posted by handee at 3:54 AM on July 12, 2005